


Under the Elderberry Tree

by quirkysubject



Series: Quirky's Anon Prompt Challenge [2]
Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Prompt Fill, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25464133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quirkysubject/pseuds/quirkysubject
Summary: It’s just words. Why should they hurt him so much?Because they’re true. He hasn’t been kissed, ever, and his sixteenth birthday is less than a week off.
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
Series: Quirky's Anon Prompt Challenge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841833
Comments: 39
Kudos: 43





	Under the Elderberry Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [freesiafields](https://archiveofourown.org/users/freesiafields/gifts).



> This is the second fill for [Quirky's Prompt Challenge](https://quirkysubject.tumblr.com/post/624072927120375808/anon-fic-requests-open) on tumblr! 
> 
> The prompt was:  
>  _Jimercury highschool AU: Some kids are bullying Freddie for his teeth, like telling him he's ugly and that he will never get kissed. Freddie ends up crying in some corner of the school because he really never got kissed. Jim heard and saw everything that happened and decided to tell Freddie he is in love with him. Freddie got his very magical first kiss 💕 Sorry this is too long! I love you!_
> 
> As the prompt says, the fic starts with a brief depiction of bullying/taunting and the aftermath.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Freddie turns on his heel and starts walking away. Back straight, head held high, every muscle in his face controlled almost to the breaking point. Don’t let them see.

Julian cackles. “I got eyes, Bucky.”

The shrieking laughter that follows tells Freddie he's doing his usual impression of buck teeth: top lip curled up, chin drawn back. It looks nothing like Freddie, but it cuts like a knife every time.

“You’re just jealous,” Freddie shouts over his shoulder while his feet carry him away as fast he can without making it look like he’s running.

“Oh please, as if anyone’d ever kiss you”, Ella snarls. “I’d be scared you’ll bite my tongue off!”

Freddie throws back a hand as if to swat away the words. He doesn’t look back. If he looks back, he’ll lose what little self-control he has and that cannot happen. Not in front of _them_.

He makes it past the smoker’s corner, keeping his head down so as not to attract any attention in case there’s anyone there he knows, and keeps not-running until he reaches the small copse of trees next to the bike stands. There’s trash lying about that people chuck here. It smells and the trees and low bushes look sad and half-withered in the late summer heat, but they shield him from view and no one ever comes here before school’s out.

As if his body had just waited for the signal that he’s safe, he folds up. Heaving, ugly sobs shake him and he presses his face into the trunk of a tree to keep himself upright. The squashed elderberries on the ground stain the white of his trainers a dark purple.

It’s just words. Why should they hurt him so much?

Because they’re true, his mind unkindly reminds him. He _hasn’t_ been kissed, ever, and his sixteenth birthday is less than a week off. All the others in his class have, he knows. Some of them have proper girlfriends and boyfriends even, and do a lot more than just kissing. He sees them sneaking off on school trips and between classes, looking at each other with hearts in their eyes and their hands exploring under each other’s shirts.

But no one ever wants him. Not even when they play spin the bottle, on the rare occasion that he’s invited to those parties. _(”Make her kiss Bucky!” “Nah, that would be cruel, she’s my friend!”)_ He wraps his arms around himself and squeezes his eyes shut. First day back at school after the holidays and he's already a mess.

He tries not to let it get to him. There are more important things after all. His art. His music. His friends. Because it’s not like he doesn’t have friends. Not many, and they're far from Julian's hip crowd, but he does. Ayoola had even offered to kiss him once. But there’d been pity in her eyes instead of desire, and he couldn’t stand that. It had been so much worse than distaste or derision.

And besides, he doesn’t want her. He wants...

“Freddie!”

Oh God, no. No, no, no, no, not _him_ , not _now_!

Freddie straightens up, but keeps his back turned to the footsteps that are quickly approaching.

“It’s just I heard what happened and…”

“Go away!” And _shit,_ his voice is breaking and he’s panicking because Jim can’t see him like that! If he heard what Ella shouted after him and sees Freddie cry, then he’ll know it’s true and he’ll look at him just like Ayoola did then Freddie will curl up and die right here under this fucking miserable tree, between the crumpled burger boxes and gum wrappings.

He needs to get away, but he can’t, because for that he’ll have to turn around and face Jim (solid, handsome Jim with his kind smile and dark eyes, who’s one year ahead of him, who he can’t talk to without tripping over his tongue, who’s face Freddie has sketched on the margins of so many worksheets when his mind was wandering during class, only to black them out immediately for fear someone might see). And there is no way in hell he can do that.

“Hey, I…”

“Just go. Away.” Freddie grinds out the words through gritted teeth. Perhaps if Jim just left immediately, they could both pretend this never happened. It’s not like they’re close anyway, just a few shared smokes every now and then that Freddie mainly spends trying not to make a total fool of himself.

There is silence for a moment, then-

A hand. On his shoulder, the touch light despite the strength in Jim’s fingers. “If you really want me to bugger off, I will”, Jim says in his slightly lilting accent that makes Freddie weak, “I just don’t want you to think you’re alone or… or that what any of these pricks says matters, because-”

It’s all too much, the sincerity in Jim’s voice, the warmth he radiates, and suddenly Freddie feels himself crumpling up and curling into the other boy’s chest. Jim gives a soft grunt of surprise as he suddenly finds himself with an armful of weeping Freddie, but it only takes a second until he wraps his arms around Freddie’s back, holding him firm and safe. Freddie mushes his face into Jim’s chest and digs his fingers into the fabric of his worn cotton shirt.

“S-sorry”, he hiccups, desperately willing the sobs to go away.

“Nothing to be sorry for”, Jim says. “We all need that sometimes.”

It’s a ridiculous thought that Jim would ever throw himself into someone’s arms, crying pathetically just because someone said something stupid. _(Stupid but true.)_

Freddie stays like that for a moment longer as the gasps subside, dragging out the time that he’s allowed to breathe Jim in. And also surreptitiously wiping his tears on his shirt. Which won’t do much good, given how swollen and puffy his eyes must look.

When he pulls away, Jim has an only slightly icky tissue ready for him and tactfully studies the markings carved into the tree by generations of students as Freddie blows his nose and combs his hair back from his face with his fingers. Oh lord, he must look a fright.

“Thanks”, Freddie says, once he’s got a bit of his composure back. His voice sounds a bit stuffy, but he’s got enough self-control now that he can move on to the business of putting this whole embarrassing episode behind him. Or pretending to, rather. This will haunt him for the rest of his life, but at least in front of Jim, he’ll do his best to play it off. Just a bad day. Nothing serious.

“Sure”, Jim says and gives him a bit of a sheepish smile. Oh, those soft, dark brown eyes. Freddie has to be careful not to get lost in them.

“Right, then.” Freddie clears his throat and nods towards the main schoolyard. They’ll both be late for class as it is, they better hurry up. “Shall we-”

“Freddie, I…” Jim has spoken a little too loud, a little too fast. He looks rattled.

Freddie’s heart sinks. There he goes. The one person he can’t stand to look down on him, and he completely lost it at the first kind word. “Don’t”, he says, warding off whatever gentle phrases Jim is going to come up with. They’ll only make the rejection worse.

But instead of stepping away, Jim comes closer. He’s standing there, rubbing the back of his neck, and if Freddie didn’t know better, he’d say that Jim is nervous. “It’s just that... those bastards don’t know what they’re talking about”, he says.

Freddie takes a deep breath. “No, they do”, he mumbles at his stained shoes. Oh dear, his mum will have a fit when she sees. Those were expensive. “I’ve never…” He shrugs. For some reason, it’s easier now to be honest with Jim than to deny it. He must think Freddie’s pathetic anyway.

“Really”, Jim breathes and suddenly Freddie realises that he’s really close. Like _really_ close. “I find that hard to believe.” And staring at Freddie’s lips.

Belatedly, Freddie snaps his mouth shut, pressing his lips together. He keeps his eyes firmly on the base of Jim’s neck, where a couple of dark hairs are peeking out from under his shirt. His Adam’s apple bobs as he searches for the right words.

“I’m sorry if I’m… It’s just that if you wanted me to, I’d…”

_("Nothing to it, really. I mean, I’d kiss you, if you wanted to. I wouldn’t mind.")_

Freddie’s breath hitches in his throat. Not again. He can’t look up to see eyes full of kindness and pity again. Not from Jim.

He shakes his head and takes two steps back, stumbling over a root sticking out. He’d have fallen, if Jim hadn’t caught his arm. Freddie wants to pull away, but he also wants Jim never to let him go and it’s tearing him apart. “I don’t need your pity”, he hisses in the direction of Jim’s sternum.

“Oh, no, that’s not… bollocks, I’m going about this all wrong, aren’t I.” Jim lets go of his arm and two fingers land under Freddie’s chin, coaxing it up gently. The touch is irresistible and Freddie lets himself be willingly led to the slaughter. He lifts his gaze until he melts into Jim’s dark eyes. “I really like you, Freddie.”

Freddie refuses to give in to the desperate hope that is trying to overtake him. It’s dangerous, foolish, he’ll have his heart crushed to bits and then-

“And I’d really like to kiss you. If you let me.”

Jim is so close now Freddie can feel his breath on his face.

“Yes”, he croaks and he’s barely realised he's said it before soft lips press against his own. They’re warm and taste slightly of cigarettes and there’s a bit of stubble tickling the skin above his lips. He’s _kissing_ Jim. _Jim Hutton_ is kissing him in the litter under the elderberry tree.

Freddie’s brain is trying to come to terms with the fact that this is happening while it can’t actually be happening, because Jim is handsome and likeable and could probably kiss anyone he likes. What would someone like him want with someone like Freddie?

But he can't say that, can he, so he whispers “What if someone sees” instead, as if _that_ is his biggest worry right now.

“I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone sees”, Jim replies and cups the back of Freddie’s head with his hand. He's not pulling him in, just holding him lightly. “Do you?”

And when Freddie looks into Jim’s eyes, really allows himself to _look_ what he sees is not pity, but something far from it, something stark and burning that might hurt him too but is worth risking everything for.

So he leans in.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man, Jimercury high school!AU 😆🙈 Well, the challenge was meant to take me out of my comfort zone, so here we are.
> 
> This was tough for me to write, but such a sweet prompt, @freesiafields! Thank you for sending it in and I hope I didn't mess up too badly 💖


End file.
